It's upon us again. That time when school, college and uni students are buried under a pile of revision and struggling with the stress of exams. Some are aiming for As, others hoping to scrape a pass. Some are burdened, others couldn't care less (indeed, we might wish they cared more!)
So how can we support them as they navigate the difficult weeks of revision and writing?
1. Pray
It's obvious, I know, but I forget all too often. Let's pray that they will concentrate well, write well and keep perspective well ... remembering both that it's great to give of their best this season but also that exam results have no bearing on their eternal destiny only their temporary career prospects.... continue reading
Have you seen this doing the rounds on the social media sites? It's been causing quite a stir.
To have a book with the creator's visible signature - well, that would be quite something! I’m sure if there were a Bible signed by Almighty God himself, it would be a major source of Bible envy.
But perhaps you suffer from that already?
You know; that feeling you get when God appears to be speaking to your friend in some electrifying way during their quiet times, but when you open your Bible, it’s frankly underwhelming.
Or when you’re at home group, and the person sitting next to you is bursting with insightful comments on the passage, while your mind strays elsewhere.... continue reading
We've all been there. That moment when we inwardly flinch with the pain. That moment when someone we care about says something that cuts to the quick. Maybe they meant to wound, maybe they were trying to be helpful but either way the hurt runs deep and it mars the next few minutes, if not hours or days ... Sometimes such interactions leave us angry or despondent, on other occasions resolving to keep our distance in the future. All too often we allow the feelings to fester and, let's face it, that never ends well - it certainly never ends up glorifying Jesus.
So how can we simply and faithfully work through the pain? One way is to work through the P-A-I-N!... continue reading
Preachers and Bible teachers spend a lot of time trying to hone their craft. There are some great books out there to help you with ideas and techniques whether you're giving a talk at a camp to teenagers, or preaching in a formal setting to hundreds or thousands.* But there's another place we should be looking to learn how to communicate better - the World!
There are some very gifted communicators out there - some of them communicating to make us laugh. Some of them to make us wealthy, or better businessmen. Others wanting to convince us that their philosophy is worth believing in. And all of them are able to draw immense crowds who pay good money to sit and listen. Here are just three things we can learn from our contemporary orators:... continue reading
1. Pray as you travel
If you're anything like me, you'll see many of the same faces every morning. Each day I can be fairly sure I'll cross paths with Marks and Spencer breakfast man in his trendy black trainers (he bought a fruit salad and sausage roll this morning), grumpy grey-haired lady in wrinkly socks (who invariably expresses her discontent at something to a disinterested world) and desperate-for-a-cigarette guy (who only stubs out when the bus arrives and lights up immediately he alights) to name but three. I find their consistency in my life quite pleasing - they bring structure to a part of my day when my brain barely functions well. Who do you see morning by morning, week by week? Why not pray for them? Let your eyes wander along the platform or the queue and ask God to give each person a clear opportunity to get to know God better. Of course, you can pray for your friends and family too.
2. Read Scripture as you travel
I know it's more common to read the paper, listen to an iPod or mindlessly scroll through the headlines on your smartphone but there's no rule. Why not get your Bible out - as tree book or ebook? Everyone peers over everyone else's shoulder at some point in a journey so give them something great to look at. And feed yourself something inspirational as you do. The Explore app can be a great help.... continue reading
It happens in nearly every office, pub, restaurant, park and theatre. That moment when, in the middle of a relaxed conversation, someone suddenly takes God's name in vain. In a split second, our heavenly Father's title becomes little more than an expression of exasperation; our precious Saviour's name a swear word. Sometimes the speaker intends to offend, more often they are indulging in mindless, culturally-approved emphases with little or no thought for anything or anyone spiritual. And as they do, our hearts sink and our palms sweat. Part of us saddened by the devaluing of something so dear to us - the rest, panic-stricken by that niggling suspicion that we probably ought to say something but we have no idea what.
So how can we respond in such situations? It's a question that one of our blog readers posed last week.... continue reading
In recent years, there has been a swathe of stories reporting the alleged involvement of celebrities in child molestation. The behaviour of a small number of paedophiles has been scrutinized online and a watching world has been left feeling sickened. Silhouettes of victims on newsreels tearfully tell of trauma past and the ongoing struggles of a life ruined forever. The awfulness of such stories can barely be quantified.
In quiet conversations in churches around the globe, there are Christians who tell their stories too … those who know just what it feels like to be sexually abused as a child. They know how deep the pain pierces. They have shared in the tears that flow for so many years. But, in Christ, they can testify to a different ending. The abuse can never be forgotten but theirs is not a life ruined forever. They know the reality of a life being rebuilt. Today, on The Good Book Blog, we hear from one such survivor:... continue reading
Last weekend I decided to do a straw poll. I asked a selection of my friends a simple question: why did you leave church as a teenager?
There was a range of answers. Boring services, lack of peers, pressure of studies all reared their head. But there were 3 others factors that loomed much larger:
Faith wasn't shown to be rational
"I had questions. Lots of questions. I was being bombarded with science and secular philosophy at college and it didn't fit with what the Bible was saying. I wanted to understand why. I asked my youth leaders to explain how I could be sure that the Bible was right and the teaching I was getting Monday to Friday was wrong (or of less importance). They simply told me to believe. I guess it wasn't a heretical answer by the church's standards but it wasn't a helpful one. It left me with the impression that Christianity was a blind faith rather than a faith based on reason and facts. And so I walked."... continue reading
"But I don't want to sit down... I want to be out doing something..."
A familiar cry during the Easter break. Children liberated from the structure of school, and fueled with more chocolate than might be ideal, want to bounce. And why not? They are children after all!
But how can parents (and grandparents and aunts and godparents and friends) harness some of that boundless energy and creativity and use it this week to help their children understand the gospel better?
One way is to encourage them to tell the Easter story not just listen to it. A drama, a puppet show, a powerpoint presentation, a collage or painting, a photo story, an acted scene videoed and edited by them, a song written and performed all engage children (and adults for that matter) in the Easter story in new ways.... continue reading
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: “He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.” Now I have told you.’
